Date: 07.23.2012
Name: Rob Forman
Email: formanra@umdnj.edu
STRATFORD, N.J. An international team of scientists led by Gary Goldberg, PhD, of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Osteopathic Medicine (UMDNJ-SOM), has found that a protein from the seeds of a plant used for centuries in traditional medicines may be able to halt the spread of melanoma, a lethal form of skin cancer. The National Cancer Institute estimates that melanoma will cause more than 9,000 deaths in the United States this year. On average, melanoma kills one person nearly every hour in the USA, and many more in other countries.
Previously published research prompted Dr. Goldberg's team to examine a protein extracted from the seeds of a legume tree -- Maackia amurensis -- that is native to parts of Asia. References to this tree being used medicinally can be found in ancient Chinese documents that date back more than 400 years. Dr. Goldberg and his colleagues found that MASL, a specific component found in the plant´s seeds, interacts with a receptor called podoplanin (PDPN) that is expressed by many types of cancer cells. This discovery seemed profound as they and other investigators found that the PDPN receptor promotes tumor invasion and metastasis to other parts of the body that are sources of the vast majority of cancer deaths.
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